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However, aggregate pricing dropped by a point since the same period last year.

Prices increased by about 6% from the second quarter of 2011 to the second quarter of 2012. The rate of increase stayed flat at about +6.5% through this year’s second quarter, but then dropped by about a point by the third quarter of 2013.

“This hard market is somewhat different from hard markets we have experienced before,” says Tom Hettinger, Towers Watson’s P&C sales and practice leader for the Americas.

“Carriers are taking rate, which is logical, as they focus on measuring the capital required to support the business rigorously and realistically, and adjust their return expectations accordingly.”

Price increases across all lines were smaller compared to the prior quarter, except for EPL. Mid-market accounts had higher price increases than large and small commercial accounts, and specialty lines prices increased at a lower rate than standard lines.

Loss ratios are “benign,” says Hettinger, as the change in earned loss ratios between accident years 2012-2013 have fallen by about 6%, a 1.5% improvement since the Q3 2011-Q3 2012 reporting period.

Still, says Hettinger, “the explicit recognition of risk, whether in the form of investment yield, inflation risk or catastrophe exposure, seems to be leading to much more disciplined pricing decisions.”

PropertyCasualty360.com

About the Author

Anya Khalamayzer, PropertyCasualty360.com

Anya Khalamayzer is Assistant Editor of Risk for PropertyCasualty360-National Underwriter. Khalamayzer graduated from CUNY Baruch College after intensive internships with Time Out New York Kids and Crain’s Investment News. Keenly interested in environmental science, music and the arts, her articles have been published in Gotham Gazette, Wonkster blog and Ear to Mind magazine. She can be reached at akhalamayzer@summitpronets.com.

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